JUST CONFIRMED: the OG Tempura truck will be here at Cinefamily from 4-10PM!

Superman: The Movie – 5:00pm
Amongst the overwhelming number of modern superhero pictures, it’s easy to forget that there was a single film that not only kicked off our current fascination with cinematic caped crusaders, but managed to become one of the most stirring films of its decade in the process. Before ’78, there were only Saturday morning serials, cartoons and the occasional campy theatrical joint like Danger: Diabolik and Barbarella — but Superman: The Movie cast aside all expectations of a goofy or merely passable time with a knockout script, inspired casting, pitch-perfect acting, top-notch special effects, sharp direction and one of the greatest hummable movie themes of all time. In the wake of the current crop of comic book movies so panel-by-panel faithful to their source material that they are essentially the books themselves with added motion, Superman also stands out as a fantastic adaptation of the Kal-El/Clark Kent origin story, streamlining its wide universe of detail into a timeless, finely-tuned filmic machine that has stood on its own since it was first released. Whether you’re seeing it for the first time since childhood, or whether you make a regular habit out of catching up with it — come join us in the joyous group experience of seeing Superman up on the big screen where it belongs.
Dir. Richard Donner, 1978, 35mm, 143 min.

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut – 8:00pm-ishSuperman II has long been considered one of the superior movie sequels in film, with its action setpieces, its highly memorable villains (led by Terence Stamp in the supremely juicy role of General Zod) and its central human drama (the revealing of Clark Kent’s real identity to Lois Lane, so that they might be allowed to fall in love) all standing toe-to-awesome-toe with the many highlights of the first flick. But now, Superman II has been made even better. Parts I and II were originally filmed back-to-back by director Richard Donner, who exited the production late in the game over many disputes with the series’ producers — making the original film a hodge-podge of Donner’s material and subsequent scenes from replacement director Richard Lester (A Hard Day’s Night, Petulia), who injected more comedy and alternate storylines into the proceedings. A few years ago, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut finally emerged, giving fans what had always been rumored: a full version of the film with Lester’s slapstick sensibilities and plotholes re-replaced with the tone and plot Donner had originally intended. Continue your stay on Superman Day with this re-imagined classic!
Dir. Richard Donner, 1980/2006, Blu-Ray, 116 min.

Superman III – 10:15pm-ish
Oh, how Cinefamily loves its “threes”: the magic entry in a film franchise when, like the rhythm of a classic joke, the third iteration is where things often go hilariously askew — the exact reason why we love Superman III so much, for it’s crammed to the gills with supremely ridiculous touches that its original audience never saw coming. The shoehorned addition of a dazed-looking Richard Pryor (who was then at the peak of his crossover Hollywood fame) is one amazing thing, but Richard Lester returning to the director’s chair to use the Superman canvas as a staging ground for Hard Day’s Night-style slapsticky nyuck-nyucks creates a sublime feeling of sweet idiocy that’s hard to beat, midnight-movie style. Plus, everyone’s chewing the scenery in their own devilish way: Pryor, Robert Vaughn, Annie Ross, Pamela Stephenson — practically everyone but Christopher Reeve, who still shines like magic (as if the movie around him isn’t as strange as it actually is) in the dual role of Good Superman vs. Baddie Superman. Superman III remains a guilty pleasure, one that we’re stoked to finally see roll across the Cinefamily screen!
Dir. Richard Lester, 1983, 35mm, 125 min.